X Men 4: Warsend
by lordtrayus
Summary: 3 years after Alcatraz, things are peaceful. But the X-Men know how fast the weather can change. Things change, lines are drawn and war begins once again. A reckoning approaches for mutants and humans alike. Who will survive this last stand? Them or us?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men**

X1

Three years had passed since the battle on Alcatraz Island, and the death of Charles Xavier, Scott Summers and Jean Grey. Mutant kind was accepted across the world, partly due to the disappearance of Magneto following the end of the battle. Also, the former President had initiated many reforms that gave mutants equal rights, and things were far better for all. Mutants were generally accepted throughout society, and while the idea of some did scare people, most people seemed content to let them get on with their lives.

At Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters, Ororo Monroe, also known as Storm, a mutant who could control the weather, was Headmistress. In the years since Xavier's death she had led the school admirably, and many people appreciated her stance on integrating mutants into society. A teacher of evolution, she had commanded the X-Men in the battle at Alcatraz, and had overseen the education of many young mutants since then.

Logan, also known as Wolverine had stayed at the school following the battle, taking up the position of ethics teacher. Having gone through exploitive surgery many years before which gave him a set of adamantium claws, he had survived with his accelerated healing factor, which he had used to kill Jean Grey, who's alter ego, Phoenix, had been set loose during the battle at Alkali Lake. He had remained behind, feeling at home with others for a change, and making sure Rogue kept out of trouble. He and Storm had been slowly drifting together since Alcatraz and the death of Jean, who Logan had loved.

Hank McCoy, or Beast, was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Following the end of the Cure Crisis, he had been appointed to the position by the former President in an attempt to smooth over ruffled feathers following Alcatraz. A blue, furry mutant, he was a genius with a kind, caring, philosophical side, and was a reserve X-Man and a benefactor of the school who occasionally visited to talk about politics and ethics.

Marie, also known as Rogue, had taken the Cure in order to be able to get close to her boyfriend Bobby. Despite having lost her powers of absorbing the person's she touched lifeforce, she had stayed on at the school after her graduation, and Storm had delightedly offered her a position as a biology teacher following her gaining one of the highest marks in America. She was still dating Bobby, and the incident with Kitty Pryde had been all but forgotten.

Bobby Drake, alias Iceman, who had fought at Alcatraz, had also stayed on at the school and had become an English teacher. He and Rogue had sorted out their contact problems, and his kiss with Kitty three years before had been all but forgotten.

Peter Rasputin, known as Colossus, had come to the school from Russia years before. After the fight at Alcatraz he had since stayed on and had become a PE teacher. His ability to transform himself into metal made him a valuable ally in battle.

Kitty Pryde or Shadowcat, was a girl who could walk through walls. She and Bobby had nearly developed a relationship three years before due to the grief over the death of Xavier and the fact that Bobby couldn't touch Rogue. However, they had rejected this, and she had since become a solid friend of the two. She too had remained at the school and had taken up a position as a teacher of politics.

Warren Worthington III, son of the one who's company had created the cure, had also taken up a position at the school. He had agreed to become a maths teacher, and had joined the team of X-Men, using his wings to help him fly in battle. He was well liked by the other staff, and many of the younger girls had a crush on him.

Jubilee had also become an X-Man, despite the fact that she hadn't completed her education. Able to shoot electricity from her fingertips, she was a great help in recent skirmishes the team had had with deranged mutants and remnants of Magneto's Brotherhood.

The other addition to the team was the actual source of the cure. Jimmy, or Leech, had been allowed in due to his unnatural abilities that were a great help when combating rogue mutants, as his powers negated theirs.

On the other hand, while the X-Men were strong and running well, the Brotherhood had all but collapsed. Without a strong leader to take over, it had gone to ground, splitting into various factions that had nearly all been dealt with by the X-Men. They were now of little threat to anyone as a political entity.

Magneto, a former accomplice of Xavier's, had been injected with the cure at Alcatraz. After all he had done, he managed to slip away after the battle and had vanished, and no one knew where he was.

Mystique, Magneto's former second in command who he had abandoned after she'd been injected with the cure, had betrayed Magneto in exchange for freedom. While the X-Men kept an ear out for her, no one knew where she actually was.

Pyro, the traitor to the school who had joined Magneto and served as his chief lieutenant after Mystique's abandoning had been defeated by Iceman at Alcatraz and had been locked up in prison, along with Juggernaut and Multiple.

Magneto's former henchmen, Sabertooth and Toad, had also vanished off the map. Sabertooth had been defeated at Liberty Island and again during the Sentinel crisis, where Logan had assumed that he had killed his long time nemesis. However, reports had seen him crossing the border back into America, and they had confirmed his continued existence. Toad, another goon of Magneto's who had somehow avoided death at Liberty Island, had been more recently confronted by the X-Men with a group of Brotherhood mutants. However, he had been defeated when jumping to take out Storm he had hit Leech's no-go zone as it was called and had fallen onto a truck beneath the bridge they were on and had vanished.

Despite this, everything else seemed to be fine. The new President, Rolf Strucker, seemed to also support mutants and they seemed secure in their place in society. The cure had been largely destroyed when Phoenix had wrecked the facility, but there was enough left over to make more. And there didnt seem to be any problems associated with the cure, and no problems with the government to require more.

But the mutants, especially the X-Men of all people, knew how fast the weather could change.

**Greetings!**

**Another new story begins! Dont worry, I amnt forgetting any of the others, they will be done eventually.**

**However, here we are, setting the scene for my new X-Men story. I can let you know things may seem tame for now, but they are going to get a lot worse. Old villains and new return, and we also get returning heroes also. Things are going to change in the mutabnt world, and fans of X-Men Evolution and the comics will recongise a major new enemy in later days!**

**Until then however, take a read, and I hope you like, and I will try to update soon. Please read and review!**

**Next time: Old enemies return!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men**

X2

In a park, a man sat playing chess on one of the tables. He moved the knight forward to take out black's pawn, and pondered the move he would make as black.

He was Eric Lehnsherr, the man who had once been Magneto, the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Since the defeat at Alcatraz, and the routing of the Brotherhood, he had been in hiding, alone and powerless. He reflected bitterly on his failure to stop the Cure, which many mutants had been either manipulated into taking the Cure, or had it forced on them during the battle. Even the powers of the Class Five mutant Phoenix, formerly Jean Grey, a student of Charles', hadn't been enough to secure victory, though Eric did admit that she had been as barmy as a badger at the end, and so was about as useful for their cause as a chocolate fireguard in an inferno.

He pondered the long-prophesised war between mutants and the rest of humanity. The Battle of Alcatraz had only been a delaying action, like the sacrifice of Czechoslovakia to Hitler in 1938. The war had only been delayed and would come. Just because the enemy had apparently been appeased, it didn't mean things would turn on them.

Eric extended his hand to the metal pieces on the other side of the board. Since the battle, he had had no powers, however about a month after it, his powers had returned in a rudimentary form, allowing him to create small metallic shoves. In the years since, his powers had been growing. He did not know the reason for this, and was quite interested to find out what was going on, but without fellow mutants and his powers not all they could be, he wasn't going to go looking for answers just yet. However, by now he could do but the most extreme of his powers. He wouldn't be moving any massive bridges any time soon, but he could probably manage a car again.

Eric pondered this, and concentrated on a car over the road. It's doors were open, and the old lady getting out from the passenger side was having difficulty closing the door. Eric stretched out and slammed the door shut for her. The woman looked at her hand in surprise, shrugged and went about her business. Eric snorted. Yes, his powers were nearly at full strength again. When they were fully returned, he would see what he would do.

He turned back to his game, and pondered his next move. A woman's hand then came in, took the bishop and moved it up to put the king into check.

Eric looked up to see a young woman, with blonde curly hair. Her eyes were deep green and she nestled herself down opposite him.

"An interesting move my dear." he commented as he moved a pawn to block the check.

"So's that. It's been a long time Mr Lehnsherr." she said, moving a rook up to take out a knight.

"Do we know each other?" he asked her, trying to place her face.

"I hope so." she said, and he looked into her green eyes.

They then flashed to a reptilian yellow, and he jumped.

"Mystique?" he asked hoarsely.

"Yes. It's been a while Eric." she said.

"It has. I haven't seen you since…"

"Since you abandoned me on the floor of the government lorry because I wasn't a mutant anymore." she said bitterly.

"My dear…We were about mutants. You…"

"You could have used me to rally people to the cause. Instead, you abandoned me, proving you cared more about your goal than you ever did about me." she growled.

"Mystique…I…"

She sat there, glaring at him.

"You did get your revenge though. You got poor James captured." he pointed out.

She smiled.

"I suppose by that time, part of me understood your reasons. You could have used it, but it also would have affected our image. In hindsight, you made one of two choices, both of which would be a major nightmare. Though I'll never truly forgive you for doing what you did, I understand it. And you took us to new heights, before the government got to big for it's boots and fought us." she said regretfully.

He smiled and patted her hand.

"You delayed them long enough for us to get to Alcatraz, even if that wasn't your intention. And for that, I thank you." he said.

She nodded.

"I suppose you didn't track me here just to catch up on old times." he stated.

"Correct. Have your powers been returning?" she asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"For the past few months, I've been working at Worthington Labs."

"And what did you discover?"

"That the Cure only permanently suppresses the mutant X gene in all mutants that are below the halfway mark on a Class Three mutant." she said in a whisper.

Silence emanated in the park, the sound unnoticed by the two of them as Eric absorbed this piece of news.

"The Cure isn't permanent?" he asked.

"Not for mutants as powerful as we are." she said.

"And so our powers have been returning because they're no longer being suppressed."

Eric sat back and gave a sigh as he thought about the ramifications.

"This news will cause chaos." he said.

"Exactly. But, the government wont let it." she said.

"What do you mean?"

"The new President is profoundly anti-mutant. He's created a special agency that works outside the government, and he calls it HYDRA. It's made up of a quadrumvirate, and the President is the leader. The Secretary for Defence is another member. They've been rounding up mutants for months, higher Class Threes or Class Fours that actually took the Cure, and have either been killing them, or enslaving them with a computer chip that controls their brainwaves."

"What do they want?" he asked, his interest piqued.

"They want to either eradicate or enslave all mutants. To do this, he has resurrected the Sentinel robot program."

Eric's eyes widened.

"You remember them of course." Mystique said.

"Yes. Stryker's brain child. Was Strucker working with Stryker?"

"I think so, I think he was the politician who soothed over Stryker's wrong doings when they came to the public eye."

"So, Strucker has created this organisation, recreated the Sentinels, and is using them to either exterminate or enslave mutants up and down the country?"

"Yes. And don't get me wrong, it's a very powerful organisation, and with him where he is, it's only going to get stronger." she concluded.

"How many are we facing?" Eric asked.

"Rough estimate…round about three thousand crack troops, combined with who knows how many Sentinels, and dozens of enslaved mutants. HYDRA presents a very real threat. I think your disappearance, is the only reason you aren't either one of them or dead. The only other one of such power who took the Cure is the X-Men girl, Rogue. However, she's still relatively safe at the School, and Strucker hasn't worked out how to move against the ambassador yet."

"What's Strucker's reasons for doing this? Or is he a typical genocide maniac and not have one?"

"No he has a reason. Apparently, his family was killed during the Cerebro Incident, and he wants revenge against all mutants. Secretary of Defence Kraken however just hates us because we're different." Mystique muttered angrily.

"Typical. Who are the other two leaders?"

Mystique pursed her lips.

"I don't know, I wasn't able to find that out. The other two are better hidden, or not as widely know, whichever way you look at it. I reckon the latter."

"How many of our brothers have been either killed or enslaved?"

"Enslaved, only a couple if dozen. He only takes the strongest to become part of HYDRA. But over one hundred and fifty have been killed." she said, furiously.

Eric narrowed his eyes.

"The war is coming then." he said with satisfaction.

"Yes, and this time, there'll be no stopping it. The news that the Cure isn't permanent is getting released tomorrow. The people will be furious, they'll feel they were lied to about the Cure. That will inflame all the resentment remaining in the human population for us, especially when Strucker lets it slip that you will most likely be a threat again, as Beast told him you'd been Cured. The population will panic, and demand the Mutant Registration Act is brought into effect, which Strucker will do with delight. The mutants will be furious, especially as Strucker will have no choice but to remove Beast, and will ignite the tensions. The war will begin." she said smugly.

Eric smiled.

"And this time, we will do it properly, correct my dear?" he asked, glad that she was back.

"Yes. We work together, and we bring down Strucker's government and HYDRA, and then the mutants can take their rightful place as the leader's of the world, and put the humans in their place." Mystique hissed excitedly.

Eric smiled at her.

"I've forgotten how marvellous you are my dear." he complimented.

"Thank you. And I have missed you Eric. Oh, here." she said, and handed him a syringe.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"An antibody, that will attack the antibodies suppressing the last of the X gene. You'll be back to normal." she said.

"Excellent." he said, and injected himself with it.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Wonderful." he said triumphantly as he felt his power open up once again.

She smiled longingly at him, and he smiled back lustfully. His best lieutenant had returned.

"I think it's time for Magneto and Mystique to make a spectacular comeback my dear." he said, rising.

She rummaged in her bag, and he slipped out of his tweed jacket, revealing his usual grey suit. She handed him his cape, and he shrugged it onto his shoulders. One man looked at him, apparently dismissed him as street theatre, and walked on. Mystique then beamed as she gave him his helmet. He put it back onto his head, and took a deep breath.

Magneto had been reborn.

The blonde woman beside him suddenly started to change. Her skin turned scaly and blue, her hair red and her eyes yellow. Mystique had also been reborn.

"It's good to be back." he grinned.

"Eric, over there. That man in the grey coat. He's a mutant." Mystique said, nodding.

Magneto looked over and saw the man strolling towards him. He stopped short, and looked up.

His skin was a pale grey. His eyes were tiny, and were a blood red. He had long, black hair running past his shoulders, and in his hand was a sword. He also had two stingers, one on each hand.

"Magneto. And Mystique. The President wondered where you had gotten to." he said, his voice was like a hiss, quiet and menacing.

"HYDRA?" Magneto asked.

"Yep. He's one of their slaves. I believe his name is Gorgon. That's all I could find." she said.

"I am no slave. The President requires your presence." he said softly.

"I'm afraid we must decline my friend. We have work to do." Magneto said, and turned away, heading out of the park.

There was a cloud of grey smoke, and Gorgon reappeared before them.

"Oh, so that's how you did it. He's a teleporter." Mystique said in realisation.

"Correct. I will not ask again. Come with me." Gorgon hissed.

"I think not. Now, get out of the way, or I shall fry that chip in you." Magneto threatened.

Gorgon grinned.

"No."

Mystique took his arm.

"You cant. It's a dead man device. If it's tampered with, it'll kill him." she explained.

Magneto narrowed his eyes.

"We will find a way to free you my friend." Magneto promised, then walked past Gorgon with Mystique.

He then heard the sound of a repulsed psychic attack.

"Ah! A psychic also! Strucker certainly isn't mucking around is he?" Magneto asked, turning, his cloak swirling.

Gorgon hissed, a forked tongue emerging from his mouth.

"You will not come quietly?" he asked.

"No. We have work to do." Magneto said.

"Then, you die." Gorgon said in delight.

Three more men in long grey overcoats then appeared behind him.

"Sentinels." Mystique hissed.

"Fear not my dear." Magneto soothed, as Gorgon leapt at them, his stingers coming out.

"Die! Kill them!" Gorgon ordered.

Magneto smiled.

"You government types and your toys." he said with contempt.

He shattered Gorgon's sword in a second, and the mutant dropped down and backed off slightly, before teleporting toward them. Mystique leapt into the air and crashed her feet into his neck as he materialised. Gorgon fell to the floor, and while Mystique pursed his retreat, Magneto turned his attention to the Sentinels. They raised their cannons to fire, but Magneto grinned. Using his powers, he lifted the robots into the air, and their shots went wide, igniting tree and sending people into a panic. Magneto then crushed the circuits within their bodies, then tore the robots apart, flattening them into lethal blades.

Gorgon leapt to his feet and aimed his stinger at Mystique. She danced out of the way and tried to kick him, but he teleported out of the way and then appeared behind her. He stabbed down, and Mystique caught the stingers between her feet, and held them at bay.

Magneto then sent the blades hurtling at Gorgon, who teleported to safety. Magneto grinned, and seized an ice cream cart, and threw it at Gorgon. Gorgon, who couldn't feel Magneto's intentions, only heard the whistle the second before it hit him.

The cart slammed into the HYDRA agent and he collapsed to the floor, yelling in pain.

"That's that. Oh it's good to be back." Magneto said, exhilarated.

"You got that right." Mystique concurred as humans scurried out of their way, petrified.

They got into the car she had arrived in, a black BMW.

"I trust you know our next move?" he asked her, unnecessarily.

"Of course. I didn't just work at the lab you know. I also worked in the Mutant Tracker Program for the government. And my hacker abilities got us this far. We're going to Angel Island Prison, where they've got the others." she said as she drove off.

"I've missed you my dear." Magneto said wistfully.

"And I've missed you." she responded lovingly.

Magneto smiled as she drove them away from the park in which he'd spent so long.

The war was about to begin.

**Here we are then! **

**Magneto and Mystique have returned, and the war is brewing. Things are going to start to get nasty from now on, I promise.**

**Next chapter, we see what's going on with the Academy. Until then however, please read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men**

X3

It was a sunny afternoon at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters, and the classes were about to break for lunch. Storm was walking up the corridor, peering in on classes.

She passed Rogue's classroom, who was trying to explain mitosis to some of the younger students.

"The cell divides into two…" she attempted again, before she was interrupted by another question.

Storm chuckled. Despite the fact that Rogue had no powers, she was still a valuable member of the teaching staff and was a great boon to the school.

Storm strolled on and observed Colossus teaching a group basketball in the courtyard. He too was a useful member of the team, and had joined before the Battle of Alcatraz, and had since graduated and become a teacher at the school.

Storm strolled on to where Bobby was teaching _Othello_, and explaining themes of revenge and jealousy to his class. Another X-Man, he too had fought at Alcatraz and had been responsible for the defeat of Pyro.

Angel, who had joined the school after the battle as he had decided to be proud of being a mutant and wanted to stop hiding it, was teaching his class about fractions in differentiation. She noted that some had dozed off and sniggered.

Kitty was teaching her class about the politics of Britain, and the class also included Leech, who, along with his present teacher, was a member of the X-Men. Despite the fact that Storm wouldn't normally have taken children on missions, his skill made him invaluable, except when you were trying to fry someone or fly and forgot and made a muppet of yourself.

Storm finally came to a stop outside Logan's classroom. After the battle, he had remained on at the school, and had replaced the Professor as a teacher of ethics, much to the entire school's amusement. Despite that, he was actually quite a good teacher. Storm studied him intently through the open doorway, keeping out of sight. And if anyone asked she was observing his teaching technique, she thought sniffily.

"As we're mutants, and some of us are more powerful than others, ethics present to us a greater problem. Write down these examples:

1. A town is about to be flooded by a breaking dam. As it's an act of nature, would it be ethical for us to pervert the course of life in order to save the lives of the people there, or would we be merely bending our powers to suit our own purposes and hang the consequences?

2. A man who's mind is fading, and is a drunk and a drug addict, but the body itself is alright, is fit and healthy. Meanwhile, a man who has a good life, two dependent children and wife to look after is dying of cancer. Would it be ethical for us to transfer the consciousness of the dying man into the drug addicts body and put the addicts mind into the dying body so as to ensure the healthy good man can continue with his way of life?

3. We sense that someone in a room is going to kill a lot of people by turning himself into a suicide bomber. Would it be ethical for us to kill that man, who is doing this because of his beliefs, to prevent him killing dozens of others?

Right, I want answers, with evidence, to them by next lesson. Off you go." he said as the bell rang.

Storm smiled as she entered the room.

"Impressive. Anyone would think you're actually qualified." she teased.

Logan shot her a dirty look.

"It's quite fun actually, so don't you go telling anyone I'm not a proper teacher. They're all quite bright." he said as he collected his things.

She smiled.

"You have become quite a popular teacher. And besides, I wont get rid of you. Finding ethics teachers nowadays is a pain in the backside." she said.

"I'm so glad." he said sarcastically as they left the room.

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"Hey." Bobby said coming up behind her.

"Hi. Uh. Never try to explain mitosis. It hurts your head more than it hurts theirs." Rogue complained.

Bobby sniggered, and shoved her behind the wall so that no kids on the way to the dining room would see them.

"It's alright. You have the rest of the afternoon off." he soothed.

She smiled coyly.

"You know, I reckon Storm and Logan make us have clashing timetables for a reason." she pouted.

"Yeah. It may be something to do with the older students spending more time snogging in class when they're meant to be listening." he said sheepishly.

Rogue smiled.

"Ah well. I shall just console myself with the marking that's waiting for me." she said sadly.

"Oh, don't be like that. Here. Something to keep you going." he said, and kissed her.

She kissed him back, and time seemed to stop. Then, she felt him tensing up and opened her eyes. His skin was ashen and was becoming wasted as he decayed. Rogue jerked back and he collapsed to the floor, twitching.

"BOBBY!" she screamed.

The door thudded open, to reveal Jubilee, another X-Man, and a student in her final year.

"Rogue! What's happened!?" she asked.

"Get the others!" Rogue screamed as she dropped down beside Bobby, who was still twitching on the floor.

This could mean only one thing.

The Cure wasn't permanent.

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Storm was about to ask Kitty something when Jubilee slammed into the hall.

"We need help! Bobby's collapsed!" she cried.

Storm rose into the air and twirled out of the room, while Logan raced up the corridor, worried.

The two of them entered Rogue's classroom, to find her in tears and not touching Bobby, who was twitching.

"Rogue! What happened kid?" Logan asked taking her shoulders while Colossus arrived and took Bobby to the medical room.

"I…I was just kissing him, and he started to wither, just like before! My powers are back!" she wailed.

Storm knelt down beside her.

"Rogue? It's alright honey, he'll be fine. Come on." she said, pulling Rogue to her feet, and sending a darkly significant look at Logan.

Logan frowned. If Rogue's powers had returned, it meant that Magneto's possibly had too. Which could mean no end of trouble for the X-Men.

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Three hours later, Bobby was stable and was going to be alright. Rogue had held on long enough to cause any permanent damage. With that in mind, Rogue crept downstairs into the darkened hallway.

She crept towards the front door, and stole out into the night. She had to find a Cure. A permanent one. Or she'd lose Bobby.

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Logan bolted up, sniffing. Something wasn't right. Or worse, someone wasn't there. He rolled his eyes, threw on some clothes, and set off after Rogue.

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The train station was quiet at this time of night. Rogue paid for her ticket and dashed to the train, determined to travel to the west coast to get another shot of the Cure. If not, she didn't know if she would be able to keep up her relationship with Bobby, and they would go back to the way they had been, unable to touch one another.

Rogue thought about this. She wouldn't blame Bobby if he left her if she couldn't be cured. She knew their relationship was built a lot on good will and luck and hope, rather than anything else. And undoubtedly Kitty would be there when he woke up…

Rogue actually quite liked Kitty, and was her friend, and knew that the two of them had been there for each other when Xavier had died, as Rogue hadn't been able to console Bobby due to the occupational hazard that if she touched him she would kill him. As such, the two had grown close, and Rogue had watched them hang around together and knew there was the possibility of something else there…

A hand touched her shoulder and she leapt a foot in the air.

"Hey kid." Logan said gruffly.

"Logan! You gave me a heart attack!" she scolded.

He grinned sheepishly and sat down with her. She determinedly looked out of the window and he just sat there in silence.

"So you're just running away?" he asked as the train rolled out of the station.

She rolled her eyes and looked at him.

"No. I'm going to get another shot of the Cure." She said.

Logan nodded, then pursed his lips.

"What?" she asked irritably.

"Are you sure that's what you want? To give up your powers again?" he asked her.

She looked at him, tilting her head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you doing this for the right reasons?"

She arched an eyebrow at him.

"What's that meant to mean?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Look Rogue, I know you love Iceman. But are you really going to throw away your powers for him?"

Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Logan, I cant be with him because if I touch him I'll kill him. I nearly lost him that way once, I wont do it again. So this is the only way."

Logan nodded.

"Right. But I still think you're rushing into all of this."

Rogue pouted, then relented.

"All right, what do you think I should do?" she asked.

He squeezed her shoulder.

"Come back to the school, if only for a bit. Storm and the others are meeting to talk it over, and we're calling the furball too. Then you can decide if you want to go. Maybe try and get someone else's advice. But provided you come back now, I wont stop you." He said.

She sighed and got to her feet, and Logan grinned.

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"The fact that Rogue's powers have come back presents us with a conundrum. As Rogue is a class four who was injected with the Cure now has her powers back, it wouldn't be entirely unreasonable to assume Magneto may have had the same experience." Hank said over speakerphone.

Storm, who was sitting at her desk and staring at the phone, looked at it.

"And that might also mean Mystique's powers have returned too. Which means if she rejoins Magneto, the two of them might try to start off that war of theirs again." She said.

"Which would undo everything thats been achieved since Alcatraz in a very short space of time." Angel said worriedly.

A recovered Bobby raised a finger to his lips as he sat back in his chair.

"What's the government's position on the Cure not being permanent?" he asked.

"So far President Strucker has remained relatively quiet on that front. However, I have alerted him to the possibility that Magneto could be back in action. Agents are examining the date from Worthington Labs now." Hank said.

Logan turned from the window.

"So what do we do?" he asked.

Peter shrugged.

"Not much we can do. If the Cure isn't permanent, there isn't much we can do about it is there?"

Kitty shook her head.

"No. But what I worry about is the relative peace we've had. We know how fast things change. If it gets out that powerful mutants haven't been stopped, the blame is most likely going to fall on us." She warned darkly.

"Meaning a return of the fear and prejudice." Rogue said.

"But because things are different now, we're going to fight for what we've got. Which means that this could get really nasty." Jubilee said worriedly.

Storm rubbed her temples.

"How bad could it get Hank?" she asked.

"They raise very good points. And if as we fear Magneto is in fact back in action, the return of the fear and prejudice will act as a lightning rod to gather hundreds of mutants to his cause and may actually precipitate his war for him." He said from Washington.

"I still say we're jumping to conclusions." Logan said.

Storm shook her head.

"No, we're being cautious." She retorted.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but Rogue shook her head too.

"I don't think we are. Magneto's a stronger mutant than me, and I have my powers back. As such we can be relatively confident his are back too. Which will suck." She said.

Hank's voice then dulled as he talked to someone else. He then gave a great sigh over the phone.

"Did you get the results?" Leech asked him.

"Yes I did son. It isn't good."

Storm closed her eyes in despair.

"Well, break it to us gently then." Bobby said.

"Apparently all mutants who took the Cure from level one up to the halfway mark for level three's are permanently cured. However, if you're a second half class three or a class four it appears as if it is indeed only temporary." He said sadly.

Rogue cursed softly.

"Meaning that either now or later Magneto will get his powers back." Logan scowled.

"Exactly. Which means all of us could be in danger." Hank said grimly.

Storm stood.

"Right. Until we know where Magneto is and what he's up to, I'm increasing the training program. If he just has Mystique with him it's bad, but not as bad as it could be. I want him stopped before he gets anyone else." She said.

They agreed on that much.

"I will keep an ear out. Pyro, Juggernaut and Multiple are all in prison, and Sabertooth and Toad have vanished. But if Magneto decides to go to war again, and this may give him the ammo he needs if it proceeds as we fear, they'll all join him very quickly. We need to be ready." He said.

Storm nodded.

"Agreed. Right, we'll increase the training regimen and get us back in shape. Speak soon Hank." She said.

"Cheerio everyone. Keep your eyes peeled."

Storm let them all go, and Rogue headed for the garage. Logan was right. She needed someone else to talk things over with. And she had an idea who. And it could also be used for intel gathering too if she was right. Smiling to herself, she set off.

**So the Cure hasnt affected Rogue either. It has an interesting effect which shall become clear next chapter.**

**Will things go as badly as they predict? And who has Rogue gone to see?**

**All will hopefully be revealed soon.**

**Bye for now!**


End file.
